The Divyavadana, or "Heavenly Exploits," is a collection of thirty-eight Buddhist biographical stories. The genre of narratives of an individual's religiously significant deeds is as old as Buddhism, and its manifestations are as widely spread across Buddhist Asia, in classical and vernacular languages, down to the present day.

Volume One contains the stories of Shrona Kotiakarna, Purna, Prince Sadhana and Makindika. The first two stories are fine examples of the type of tales of adventurous seafaring merchants whose moral virtue and religious observance lead to material wealth. Sadhana's is a prince's long and dangerous heroic quest, while the brahmin ascetic Makindika offers his nubile daughter to the Buddha in marriage. Where religion meets the world, these narratives present something for everyone.

Heavenly Exploits, NYU Press, Hardcover, pocket 4.5" x 6.5"

Joel Tatelman is Senior Editor at the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. He has also published The Glorious Deeds of Purna, a translation and study of the Púrnavadána.